Electric cars

Big changes ahead are being predicted ...... no, there's a surprise!

Stricken carmakers stall at the crossroads of a radical future

But it is the long-term structural issues that cast the longest shadows. Electrification, autonomous vehicle development and the threat posed by ride-hailing services to personal vehicle sales pose challenges that not all companies will be able to meet.

According to Williams, the industry has seen nothing like this since Henry Ford’s Model T rolled off the production line in 1908. “In that [following] period, the US industry defined the idea of the people’s car – an internal combustion engine with a gearbox and so on,” he said.

“What happened after world war two was that the Europeans and Japanese downsized the model. But European cars like the VW Beetle, the Fiat 500, the Mini, would all have been recognised by Henry Ford. The real big thing is that the car, as Ford and General Motors invented it, is going to be reinvented with electrification and autonomy.”

Overpriced

Herzlos wrote: »

Are there any problems with letting it run totally flat and just recharge it the day before bringing it back into use?

Presumably, with a drain level like that the car is still doing something even when not in use, do I wonder if there's scope for a hibernate mode.

The battery itself doesn't 'loss' any charge, in the event of a major impact the battery connectors automatically 'dislodge' to stop possibility of thermal run away. There are reports of 'written off' Tesla battery packs been found to have pretty much exactly the same state of charge as at the time of the crash 6 months+ after the event when someone 'revives" the battery.

When just left 'off' normally the car really isnt off, data is constantly been sent to Tesla and downloaded - I've had full software updates appear on the car with no WiFi connection which means the car is doing itself via internal mobile data. Equally everytime you check the mobile App the car 'wakes up', finally there is some suggestion the battery thermal management is constantly monitoring the car.

Its not unusual to see 2-5% drops in battery capacity when left overnight, but if you turn off mobile data, turn on energy save, don't check the App the energy drain is no where near as bad. When I leave ours at the airport car park on holiday I turn all the features off, I did a test a while ago, in 10days the battery state of charge dropped by only 2% which is fine. As long as you don't park up with 10% left its not an issue.

The problem with running it down to 0% is there is a chance your end up also draining the 12V battery (which is charged by the main battery) leaving no energy for the BMS to run if the 12V is flat - These battery packs cannot just be 'plugged' in without proper management, thats how thermal run away happens and fires start. In reality if the car dies due no charge the saftest thing to do is to do total shut down ASAP and get towed to a charger that day/night.

If your leaving it 2 months you can manually disconnect the main traction battery which will stop all energy drain but I woudlnt advise doing that for a car with an intact warranty!! - Your need dealer level software to reboot the car i think, though certain third parties in the US can do this, and maybe one chap in the UK.

Got to Heathrow with 56% charge.


10 days later 54% charge.